What should I ask during first lesson

[Jejenkins88]

Hi I just started playing in December and was wondering what I should ask at my first lesson should I ask about my swing or a more specific topic like my driving or short game

[phillyk]

To start off, I'd ask about the entire swing in general, and good practice techniques to develop good habits in specifics of the golf game.  You want to start off on knowing specifically what is good practice and what is bad practice, and how to make every time you do play or practice a good one.

[MiniBlueDragon]

I'd start out with a sneaky question about ball flight laws myself and see if your instructor knows what he's talking about. Once satisfied there I'd ask him what he feels is the best thing to start on so that he can build up your knowledge and skill in the correct order. There's no point in learning how to maneuver a car or how to drive it fast on a race track if you don't know how to drive at all. :)

[newtogolf]

Be clear about what your golf goals are, short term and long term.  I made the mistake last summer of defining short term goals (not to embarrass myself in an upcoming charity tournament), and the lessons centered around making adjustments to my current swing to allow me to hit the ball decently.

I now wonder had I specified longer terms goals if he would have started over from scratch with my swing (told me to skip the tourny) and thus have a better foundation of a good swing I could build on.  I feel at this point, I have to unlearn what I worked on last year and start over if I'm going to improve much beyond where I am today.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by Jejenkins88

Hi I just started playing in December and was wondering what I should ask at my first lesson should I ask about my swing or a more specific topic like my driving or short game

You shouldn't be asking, you should be telling i.e. telling your golf instructor what your objectives are. Then he needs to explain to you (honestly) how to achieve those objectives. Once you are clear on what you want and how he can help you, proceed to the driving range. The first lesson should always include that 15-20 minute chat. I'd even go as far as to speak to a number of pros before booking a lesson. It tells you a lot about a pro that is willing to give you that 15-20 minute chat for free.

[Double Bogey]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

You shouldn't be asking, you should be telling i.e. telling your golf instructor what your objectives are. Then he needs to explain to you (honestly) how to achieve those objectives. Once you are clear on what you want and how he can help you, proceed to the driving range. The first lesson should always include that 15-20 minute chat. I'd even go as far as to speak to a number of pros before booking a lesson. It tells you a lot about a pro that is willing to give you that 15-20 minute chat for free.

+100... No asking, telling.  You are paying them to teach you.  And that 15 minute chat is a must.  Talking with the pro will tell you all you need to know about his/her teaching style.  Make sure that you and he/her are on the same page on what you goals are and set a time frame on how to get to the end point.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

You shouldn't be asking, you should be telling i.e. telling your golf instructor what your objectives are. Then he needs to explain to you (honestly) how to achieve those objectives. Once you are clear on what you want and how he can help you, proceed to the driving range. The first lesson should always include that 15-20 minute chat. I'd even go as far as to speak to a number of pros before booking a lesson. It tells you a lot about a pro that is willing to give you that 15-20 minute chat for free.

In no way am I arguing here but if the OP has only been swinging a club for 3 months, how will he/she know what it is they want to achieve (other than 'be really good' or 'play good golf to beat my friends' etc) :)

[saevel25]

I would hope he/she starts you off on a shorter swing. Maybe half wedges, getting you use to correct contact first. The golf swing is so dynamicly moving, its hard to pick up the correct balance. I see so many players just hack at a ball with no sense of balance or being centered. You learn that by halfswings. I use to be like that, then i went to a pro, he would put a club up and force me to stop by swing before that club and make solid contact. It tought me control, restraint, balance, solid contact.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

In no way am I arguing here but if the OP has only been swinging a club for 3 months, how will he/she know what it is they want to achieve (other than 'be really good' or 'play good golf to beat my friends' etc) :)

I don't think you are arguing. The above is fine, it's a starting point. Then the pro then needs to dig further to find out what 'be really good' means to the student or how good are his friends. Perhaps they are all scratch golfers or 18 handicappers. It doesn't matter, whatever he wants to achieve the pro needs to tell him how he needs to go about meeting that goal.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by The_Pharaoh

I don't think you are arguing. The above is fine, it's a starting point. Then the pro then needs to dig further to find out what 'be really good' means to the student or how good are his friends. Perhaps they are all scratch golfers or 18 handicappers. It doesn't matter, whatever he wants to achieve the pro needs to tell him how he needs to go about meeting that goal.

I only asked because when I first started taking lessons my pro didn't ask me a thing, he just asked me to make a few swings and then off we went with improvements with no specific goal in mind. Of course nowadays I have about 5 mins of discussion at the beginning of a lesson on how I got on implementing the last change and what we both feel is the right thing to work on next and how long we think it should take to get the next pieces down. Targets are always good when you're learning, even if you don't always meet them. :)

[Shindig]

Maybe ask a few instructors what they tend to do on the first lesson with someone who hasn't been playing long.

If they insist you master grip, posture, and stance first, go find someone else.

If they prefer to get you started on fundamentals, I'd say that's a far better starting point.  The half swings are good, too:  that's what I got on my first individual lesson, and a week later, I went back and was hitting reasonably reliable full shots.

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

I'd start out with a sneaky question about ball flight laws myself and see if your instructor knows what he's talking about.

He said he's been playing since last December.

You are suggesting that he try to make a fool of his instructor and himself into the bargain.

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

I only asked because when I first started taking lessons my pro didn't ask me a thing, he just asked me to make a few swings and then off we went with improvements with no specific goal in mind. Of course nowadays I have about 5 mins of discussion at the beginning of a lesson on how I got on implementing the last change and what we both feel is the right thing to work on next and how long we think it should take to get the next pieces down. Targets are always good when you're learning, even if you don't always meet them. :)

A big problem is the fact most students only go for a lesson when the wheels really come off. They mistakenly think the pro is going to completely fix them in one lesson. It just doesn't work like that. This is why I always recommend at least 6 lessons (in no more than 2 months). Knowing someone is only there for the quick fix means that many pros won't bother with the pre-lesson chat as they know the student won't come back regardless of the outcome of the lesson. It's not right but you can understand why they are not interested in the student's long term goals.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by Shorty

He said he's been playing since last December.

You are suggesting that he try to make a fool of his instructor and himself into the bargain.

I'm suggesting he get an idea on whether his instructor is teaching information from 20 years ago or whether the instructor keeps up to date with the latest thoughts and ideas on the golf swing. Whether that's an internal monologue to be had before booking the first "paid" lesson is up to the OP.

[nleary9201]

I'd ask how much do you charge and can you assure me that I will make significant improvement.  The average golf score in america still is around 100 despite all the tech progress and all the PGA pros teaching who knows what.  Very few golfers improve. Been playing at the same course a long time. Same guys, same swings, same scores.  Get someone who thinks outside the box because inside the box doesn't work. Look how many different bits of advice you got here on these posts.  Nobody can agree on the right way to go about this game.

[Jejenkins88]

Thanks for all the feed back.. I talked to a couple pros today and found one I like within my price range.. I scheduled a lesson tomorrow at noon and will update after

[The_Pharaoh]

Originally Posted by nleary9201

Nobody can agree on the right way to go about this game.

We've been over this before, there is no one right way to go about this game.

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by nleary9201

I'd ask how much do you charge and can you assure me that I will make significant improvement.  The average golf score in america still is around 100 despite all the tech progress and all the PGA pros teaching who knows what.  Very few golfers improve. Been playing at the same course a long time. Same guys, same swings, same scores.

How can an instructor assure you of improvement?  Golf requires good instruction and alot of practice.  What instructor is going to assure a new student will experience "significant improvement" (whatever that means) the first time they meet them?  Most people underestimate the committment it requires to become a "decent" golfer no less one that can get to a single digit handicap.